Bangalore – The Megacity

Mere mentions of Bangalore or Bengaluru as it is now called, flashes images of soaring skyscrapers, bustling traffic and multiple flourishing IT parks in mind. For a casual traveller, Bangalore doesn’t seem like a place to spend a vacation. This city is more of a stopover for the visitors planning to explore the valleys of Coorg, the tiger sanctuaries of Nagarhole and Kutta and the heritage town of Mysore.

But, once you know about Banglore and its amazing surprises, you’ll regret why you didn’t visit this city earlier. Here, one can find everything that a modern millennial traveller would love to experience. Banglore city has some of the biggest and the most premium shopping malls. The pub culture is so hot and happening that a majority of areas have their own bar hopping trails. The street shopping hubs like Commercial Street are perfect for shopping in Bangalore. Ladies from all around the city come here and go on endless bargaining spree.

But if shopping doesn’t suit your interest, even then Bangalore won’t leave you disappointed. The tranquil Nandi Hills is a gorgeous spot worthy of spending a morning. Its rich history has bestowed the city with many temples with amazing architecture. Tipu Sultan ruled over Bangalore state during the pre colonial era and his summer palace is a treat to visit. The city even has its own National Park and Bird Sanctuary. The name garden city of India comes from the fact that iconic spots like Lalbagh, Bugle Rock, Cubbon Park and Sri Chamrajendra Park are blessed with rich collections of flowering plants. And if that doesn’t convince you to plan a visit then this city also boasts of some of the biggest waterslides and roller coasters in the country.

Prime Attractions of Bangalore tourism

Lalbagh Botanical Garden

The royal Lalbagh is a delightful place in Bangalore, Karnataka where lovely colours simply mesmerize you. This park was a private property commissioned by Hyder Ali, the ruler of Bangalore State. Today, Lalbagh stands as one of the most popular destinations in the city worthy of spending an evening. Sprawling at 240 acres of land, the park houses about 1,840 varieties of flowers, plants and medicinal herbs which are exclusive to Bangalore location. In the vast expanse of park, you’ll also find a 3,000 year old rock that is popularly known as ‘The Lal Bagh Rock’. 

Bannerghatta National Park

Bengaluru City has its own national park and a protected area for the wild animals and various species of birds. Bannerghatta National Park is spread in an area of 104.27 sq. km and has an aquarium, a zoo, crocodile farm, snake stop, prehistoric creatures stop, eateries and a museum. The protected area houses tigers, lions, deer, bear, wild dogs, peacocks and crocodiles. Bengaluru tourism provides day trips to the park which also includes safari and meals.

Wonder La

Bangalore Boasts of one of the biggest amusement parks in India. Wonder La should be a mandatory part of every Bangalore city tour. This destination has 60 exhilarating rides including some adventurous water slides, wave pools and tunnel rides. The park has one of the biggest rollercoaster in India. Other exciting rides include Twister, Recoil, Dropzone, Insanity, Flash Tower, Hurricane, Equinox, Maverick etc. Wonder La also has a resort where you can stay for the weekend and complete every attraction in detail. 

Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace

Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace was built in the year 1791. Today, it is a compulsory visit even if it’s a one day Bangalore trip. This two storey building is made of teak wood with wooden pillars that supports the foundation. The use of wood makes the interiors cool and comforting. The intricate designs on the ceilings and walls of the palace are really beautiful to observe. The palace also has two balconies where Tipu Sultan used to conduct the state affair meetings. 

Nandi Hills

Nandi Hills is a wonderful juxtaposition to the high rise apartments and ever moving traffic of Bangalore. The residents of the city head to this stunning locale early morning in order enjoy the gorgeous sunrise behind the cloudy skies. If you check any Bangalore wiki, this destination will be one of the most recommended and highest rated attraction. At a height of 1,478 metres, Nandi Hills offers pure natural bliss and is worthy of spending a day. 

Cubbon Park

If Bengaluru India is known as Garden City then Cubbon Park is one of the important reasons why. The park was named after Lord Cubbon who personally saw its beautification project. Cubbon Park is the location of many cultural activities, street plays, yoga and mediation sessions and laughter therapy sessions. Cubbon Park is also a popular jogging spot as people find a nice change from smoke, dust and noise.

Ramanagara

Ramanagara is one of the favourite outing spots where you should head during your Bangalore visit. Ramanagara is also the famed shooting spot of the movie Sholay. Adventurous activities like rock climbing, bouldering and hiking are very popular here. Yatirajagiri, Shivaramagiri, Somagiri, Revannasiddeshwara Betta, Krishnagiri, Sidilakallu Betta, and Jalasiddeshawara Betta are the seven noteworthy slopes in Ramanagara where you can test your adrenaline boost. 

Pub Hopping in Bangalore

Pub crawl and bar hopping sessions are one of the best things about Bangalore. Many parts of the city have an array of different bars and pubs that serve amazing drinks. Bangalore is also one of the pioneer cities to introduce microbreweries in India. MG Road, UB City, Koramanagala, Malleshwaram, and Indira Nagar are a few areas where you’ll have an amazing time getting introduced to the pub culture of India. In Bangalore South, BTM Layout and Jayanagar have seen emergence of many new and upcoming pubs.

Many groups in the city organize pub crawl sessions on weekends. This proves very easy on the pocket and also gives you a nice reason to interact with the locals and find more information about Bangalore. You can check about these meetups on social media groups and on many online portals.

You can also download a Bangalore India map to know about these pub hopping locations and plan accordingly. An elaborate Bangalore city guide will help you  in planning this session with your friends.

Common Languages Spoken in Bangalore

Bangalore is a multicultural city where residents from all parts of the world reside peacefully. Kannada is the major Bangalore language as it is spoken in Karnataka. Other languages include Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam and Punjabi while German and French are also spoken by a large number of expats. While communicating in Bangalore is fairly easy compared to rest of the towns in Karnataka, it is recommended that you learn a few basic words in Kannada to make your visit convenient.

Bangalore at a glance

• Bangalore is one of the biggest and ever growing cities in India. Before travelling here, you should know a couple of things about Bangalore city. 
• Bangalore city names vary and people also use Bengaluru and Banglore for reference.  
• Bengaluru population is 1.23 crores. Bangalore city population comprises of people coming and settling here from different parts of India.
• Some of the important Bangalore places name are MG Road, Koramangala, Silk Board, Hebbal, Yeshwantpura, Electronic City, Halsuru, Indira Nagar and Malleshwaram 
• Bangalore International Airport (BIAL) is 40 km away from the city centre

How to Reach Bangalore

Bengaluru, Karnataka is connected with rest of India via road, air and rail. Being one of the business hubs of the country has made the accessibility easy. Travelling out of Bangalore by road and rail is also very simple and convenient as you’ll find regular trains, buses, taxis and even helicopters for transport.

By Air

KempaGowda International Airport is located in Devanahalli, 40 km from the business district of Bangalore Area. KempaGowda is one of the busiest airports in the country with several flights arriving and departing every minute. There are flights from international locations like Muscat, Colombo, Dubai, London, Paris and Munich. With 10 domestic airlines and 21 international airlines operating here, it becomes really convenient to arrive and depart from here. 

You can find taxis, buses and self drive cars from airport to travel inside the city.

By Rail

Bangalore has two major stations, Bangalore City which is right in the heart of the city. Yeshwanthpur is another busy station from where regular trains leave for other parts of India. Apart from this, there are several small stations like Bangalore east and Bangalore Cant. where trains take a halt. These stations are close to certain neighbourhoods so it becomes easy to avoid the main stations that may be far away. Regular trains connect Bengaluru Karnataka with Chennai, Kochi, Trivandrum, Patna, Darbhanga, Kolkata, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati, etc. Long distance train journeys from Bangalore take 36 to 60 hours depending on route. Fast Shatabdi, Rajdhani, Double Decker and Duronto express are also available from Bangalore.

By Road

Bangalore is very conveniently connected by road. Regular buses are available from Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Goa, Mangalore, Kochi, Trivandrum and many more places. One can find a bus depending on the budget. AC, Non AC and Sleeper coaches are easily available. You can book a ticket for the same from online platforms or ask a travel agent to provide the same. Karnataka tourism has a number of buses running between Bangalore and many different cities. You can choose from the ordinary seater buses, regular deluxe or superfast AC buses. All buses depart from Kempagowda Bus station and stop in Electronic City, Yeshwanthpur, Hebbal and different areas of the city. 

You can also drive to Bangalore from major cities of India. NH 4, NH 63 and NH 7 directly connect Bangalore with other cities. Driving to Bangalore is a fun experience and the change in landscape is simply glorious.

Bangalore Map

https://goo.gl/maps/Cj6LendUJAL2

"Internal Transport in Bangalore city"

Travelling inside Bangalore is easy. Regular buses connect all parts of Bangalore. Majestic is the prime bus stand from where you can find a ride in all directions of the city. You can also hire auto-rikshaws and private cabs for convenient travels in Bangalore.

There are many apps that provide the facility of hiring a car or an autorikshaw to travel inside the city. Just download a Bangalore city map to rest assured about the place you are travelling. 

Best time to visit Bangalore City

Bengaluru’s climate is evergreen and pleasant. Evening showers are very common and the city rarely experiences summers with temperature going above 35 degrees. But it is recommended that you plan a visit to this city as per the time period and season.

February and March

Bangalore is a city of gardens and lakes. The month of February and March witnesses the blooming of gorgeous flowers in Lalbagh and many different locations. The spring season makes Bangalore very beautiful and serene. Nature lovers will have a time of their life in the city.

April to June

Summer season start in the month of April. The afternoons are harsh but chances of evening showers make the Bangalore climate pleasant and calm. This is the best time to go on pub hopping and taste some amazing brews.

July to early September

The evening showers turn into fully fledged monsoon season from late June which continues till early September. This is not a right time to visit the city as Bangalore weather will keep you stuck in your hotel and you will find very less chances to go out for sightseeing.

Late September to October

The monsoon season fades away and the weather becomes pleasant again. If you wish to explore places in Bangalore, visit some of the waterfalls nearby and trek in the Western Ghats of Coorg and Chikmagalur then this is the best time to plan your visit. Since the famed Mysore Dasara is organized in either last week of September or early October, most of the visitors plan their trip keeping the actual dates in mind.

December to January

Winter season arrives in late November and the temperature often goes down to 12 degrees. If you visit Nandi Hills during these months, then you’ll find yourself engulfed in a blanket of fog and dense clouds. These months are also the time when the nearby bird sanctuaries are visited by migratory birds.